Category: MSE2

Screenr: Week 11, Workshops, Intro to RE

By , March 23, 2010 8:30 am

MSE2 Reminders

By , March 16, 2010 12:14 pm

Some stuff to consider as you compose MSE2:

–I’ll be grading the quality of your ARGUMENT (logical? pragmatic? reasonable?)
–I’ll be grading the quality of your SYNTHESIS (2 quotes per paragraph? synthesized 2nd quote intro? meaningful end-of-paragraph interaction?)
–I’ll be grading the quality of your SOURCES (credible? timely? relevant? from a range of pubs?)
–I’ll be grading the quality of your METADISCOURSE (transitions at the top and bottom of each paragraph? helpful topic sentences?)
–I’ll be grading the FOCUS of your paragraphs (do they stay on track? is the research appropriate?)
–I’ll be grading the DEVELOPMENT of your paragraphs (are they fully realized or do they seem lazy?)
–I’ll be grading the ORGANIZATION of your paragraphs (do they flow from one to the next logically?)
–I’ll be grading your COUNTERARGUMENT (explained? refuted/conceded? synthesized?)
–I’ll be grading your INTRO (attention-getting? do you have an epigraph? quotes? context? key terms? background info?)
–I’ll be grading your CONCLUSION (do you end meaningfully, urgently? do you use quotes?)
–I’ll be grading your TONE (is it respectful? academic? formal? third-person?)
–I’ll be grading your MLA (every quote clearly introduced? cited correctly in the Works Cited page?)
–I’ll be grading your VOCABULARY (lively? varied? complex? far-reaching?)
–I’ll be grading your VERB TENSE (active? not passive?)
–I’ll be grading your GRAMMAR (correct? no comma splices, run-ons, fragments?)
–I’ll be grading your VISUALS (do you use any images? are they helpful? relevant?)
–I’ll be grading your TITLE (provocative? snazzy?)

Email me any questions as you compose (esteve@bgsu.edu).

Feel free to use MS Word’s comment feature to type up any/all questions that arise as you compose.

Writing Center = still accepting tutor appointments (372-2221) and online consultations.

Jerome Library = accepting Individual Research Appointments for papers on any topic.

Screenr: Week 10, MSE2

By , March 16, 2010 9:02 am

Welcome Back!

By , March 14, 2010 5:53 pm

I’m hoping your Break was relaxing and energizing. Mine sure was. Melissa and I had a blast in Chicago, eating at Alinea (which was freaking world class, pics to come) and catching up with lots of friends. We ran in a 5k on Saturday, and I actually set a personal record (19:52, 2nd in my age group, 31st out of 400+ runners). I used my performance as an excuse to eat 10 chicken wings in one sitting, which also was also a personal record. 🙂 I’d love to hear about your Spring Break if you get the chance to email me about it or post to How’s Class Going?

Anyway, on to class stuff. I’ve got a LOT going on on Monday and Tuesday (meetings and driving and such) that will keep me away from computers/the Internet, so my usual Monday Screenr will have to wait until Wednesday morning. Sorry. In the meantime:

–check your email. If you turned in a proposal, then I emailed you my thoughts on it. If you didn’t submit a proposal last week, you’ll be getting a formal absence (or second and FINAL absence) notification from me soon.

–head on over to Course Documents in Blackboard and download and read the NEW SYLLABUS. I bet it’s to your liking: there is only one due date per week now, and there are plenty of incentives to do well on MSE2. Read it ASAP and let me know what you think.

–check out the Discussion Board to see which group I’ve place you in. In addition to being “cleverly” named, these groups will give you an opportunity to help each other compose and revise MSE2 in a thematic way. Post to your group’s forum this week, at least to remind everyone in it what your topic is so that they can keep an eye out for juicy sources for your RD.

–start/keep working on your MSE2. The RD is due Wednesday night, and I want it to be good. I hope to see at least three quality paragraphs from you on Wednesday, full of sources and synthesis. So get crackin’.

Email me any and all questions, and I hope you’re well!

MSE2 Proposal, Skype, Etc.

By , March 3, 2010 8:16 am

I hope you’re working hard on your MSE2 proposal. The more effort you put into

–clarifying your argumentative stance,
–clearly delineating your reasons in defense of that stance,
–thinking hard about how your reasons relate to one another,
–considering CA’s and how to best address them,
–building a clear and focused thesis statement, and
–ESPECIALLY, locating lots and lots and lots of credible sources from a range of publications

the easier the MSE2 RD will be to write week after next.

I’m available for Skype meetings, email discussions, phone conversations and chat sessions, so if there’s anything on your mind that I can help you with or a concept or ability I can better explain to you, I hope you’ll take an active role in your learning and writing processes and contact me.

Spring Break’s almost here!

Screenr: Intro to MSE2

By , February 26, 2010 9:35 am

(Possible) MSE2 Topics

By , February 25, 2010 1:49 pm

I know the ink on MSE1 is barely dry (so to speak), but I’d like to keep your writing focused, and to that end, I invite you to think hard about what you’d like to argue for MSE2. Remember my previous advice for topics as you freewrite, outline, cluster, list and/or question. I’d like to put in research groups for MSE2, so I additionally invite you to consider writing on a topic that could be filed under one of these broad categories:

Arts
What is art? What isn’t? Should art be taught more/less in school? What does art contribute to society? Can you interpret a piece of art? Should art ever be censored? Does art enhance imagination? Should video games be considered art? Why do/don’t people go to museums? Who is the greatest artist of all time?

Media Studies
Where should Americans get their news? Are we oversaturated with media? What does Facebook’s popularity amongst young/old people say about America? Why do people become addicted to World of Warcraft? What makes a viral video catch on?

Pop Culture
Why does gangster culture endure? What does reality TV’s popularity say about us? Why does every TV show include lawyers/doctors/forensic scientists/cops? Why is [TV show/movie/musician/video game] popular? Why does torture porn/comic book movies make so much money in theaters? Why is 3-D a trend in movies?

Technology
Do computers change the ways we think? Is the Internet the greatest invention of all time? If not, what is?

Health & Wellness
Can we avoid a supervirus? Does the FDA approve too many shady products? Why do more and more people shop organic? Should colleges be more sustainable? What should be done about HIV/AIDS in Africa? What does our obesity epidemic say about us? Should fast food be better-regulated? Why do college students binge drink?

Business & Economics
Should workers be replaced by machines? What’s the role of innovation in business success? Is globalization a good thing? Can anyone reasonably survive on minimum wage?

Environment/Science
Are we destroying the earth? Why do people still hunt? Does the EPA do its job? Could BGSU be “greener”?

Consumer Culture
How do advertisements manipulate children? Why do many Americans need to “keep up with the Joneses? What stereotypes exist in advertising? What do Big Box (Best Buy, Olive Garden, Lowe’s, etc.) stores say about us? Why do people go to the mall?

Race Relations
Why do stereotypes endure? Has Obama’s election truly made us “post-racial”? Do TV shows/movies/music help or hurt race relations? Why do suburban white kids so often adopt black culture? Is technology color-blind?

Family & Relationships
Why are some marriages successful (or not)? What’s the modern definition of “family”? How has technology changed dating/relationships? Why do some women stay in abusive relationships? How could parents do their job better? Should families have a family dinner/board game/book club night? Should couples get married sooner than they do? Should every family own a pet?

Education
How do we learn? What should we learn? Should sex ed. be taught? Should schools be segregated? Is online education effective? Why do so few girls like math and science? Has technology made cheating in school easier? Are we too reliant on standardized tests?

Spirituality
Why do some people reject their family’s religion? Should college students “try on” different faiths? How do politicians/athletes/celebrities manipulate religion? Why do religions often make no room for other faiths? Is atheism itself a faith?

Rights/Freedoms
Have we truly made advancements in civil rights? Is there economic equality in America? Is the PATRIOT Act legal/moral/ethical? What has shaped America’s international reputation? Are there limits to privacy?

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